Polynerd

Since I have curator in the subhead of my blog here I figured I'd give it a go. As you know I attended the snappily titled Conference on Alberta's Future this past weekend.

Around 100 politically engaged Albertans attended the event. It was put on by the Manning Centre "to generate ideas, proposals, and plans for shaping a more positive and inspiring economic and political future for Alberta."

Here's the coverage around the internets.

- Ken Chapman wasn't impressed

What I saw come out of this event was predictable and perpetuation of traditional conservative thinking. I did not see anything that made me think that there is something new and refreshing coming from the “small c conservative” approach to politics and policy. If the outcomes from this weekend are what the conservatives see as the future of Alberta, I have to say it looks more like a passion to repeat the past. I saw nothing about them being able to rethink, redesign and be able to adapt to the new economic, environmental, societal and political realities. I saw nothing new, nuanced or newsworthy except the same-old same-old stuff of personality based leadership driven politics.

- Stephen Taylor, co-founder of Blogging Tories, was extremely diligent in covering the event. He liveblogged and transcribed the Friday night panel with Danielle Smith, Wildrose leader against Kyle Fawcett, PC MLA. To get a feel of the exchanges I'd recommend you check out the video and read the transcript. He interviewed Preston Manning as well as a few others at his website.

- Trish Audette of the Edmonont Journal was there as well. The headline was illustrative "Manning gives truant Tories a disappointing report card". Manning also wasn't impressed with the PC party's participation at the event.

"I think it probably would have had a more profound impact on the people here ... if the government had sent a cabinet representative," Manning said.

- Well known blogger and Calgarian compadre DJ Kelly attended the event and offered up his though as well. Kelly was extremely happy he went but had some beef with the format.

I guess the reason I was disappointed with the format boils down to this: I thought the Conference on Alberta’s Future was occurring, in the words of Nicholas Gafuik, Executive Director of the Manning Centre, “because Alberta is in a time of change and there is a need to generate ideas, proposals, and plans for shaping a more positive and inspiring future for our Province” and I didn’t feel like participants were given much of an opportunity to help achieve any of these goals. Instead the Conference was a conversation about the solutions put forward by the six speakers. Which is still valuable, it just doesn’t help achieve this inspired goal.

Chris LaBoissiere had some issues with the event as well. Darn bloggers, never satisfied with anything.

A tweet I made from the event summarized it all for me. "My "feeling" so far about #projectab. It's all about money. I love money, but I don't think it's all about money". The reality is that the conservative movement in Alberta is moving even further to the right, and the concept of "Progressive Conservatism" is very much under attack. This scares me, and is the reason I am going to talk to my friends and work to organize our voices for a more moderate government.

Werner Patels looked at the Edmonton Journal coverage and couldn't resist getting a shot in at the left wing parties in Alberta.

Linda Duncan, a federal NDP MP, who was at the conference, complained that the focus was solely on the Tories and the Wildrose Alliance. Well, since according to all polls recently only the Tories and Wildrose are in the running for the top job in the province, it would have been a waste of time debating the “merits” of the Alberta Liberals or NDP.

If I missed anything or if as I suspect, something new comes out Monday morning, I'd love to see them in the comments and I'll add them as we go. Thanks!

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I totally forgot my own post on the subject. Check out my stab political punditry.

It certainly seemed like a tap-toe job by Preston Manning on the PCs; setting up Danielle and the WAP as the logical successors to the stale PCs. I don't think Ed Stelmach is sitting very comfortably as leader at this point and it's entirely likely that the PC party tears itself apart or veers sharply to the right in the next 18 months.